Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Hurricane Katrina

I do not usually watch news on TV. I get frustrated with the way things are presented and with the images that I see. However, every now and then I find myself glued to the TV watching some disaster play out. Hurricane Katrina has devasted the New Orleans and Gulf region. The water is still rising in the city and the situation becomes more dire for those stranded in their homes or in places like the Super Dome which now has over 30,000 refugees.

I have to confess that my first thoughts about the storm were selfish. I planned on going to New Orleans on my train trip. I have never been there and was really looking forward to it. I wondered if it would be cleaned up by the end of October when I was scheduled to visit. My heart has now gone out to the people of that region. I find that I am crying for their losses and pray that people will survive and somehow find the courage to pick up the pieces of their lives. I pray that our country will be compelled by compassion to reach out with support for the millions who will have lost everything they own.

I am glad that I had planned on going to New Orleans because it has made me focus and care about that city. I might have tuned out the news, just glancing at the headlines and then moving on to the next news item, if it weren't for my trip. I am in the process of changing my plans and will probably head to Chicago instead. I will be following the recovery in New Orleans and will keep them in my prayers. Although I had planned on writing some light, amusing stories for my blog, my heart feels too heavy at the moment. It almost feels wrong to write about anything that isn't of vital importance. I am sure that I will be wanting to think and write about other things soon, so stay tuned.